Santorum honors memory of his nephew

3/15/13 1:30 PM EDT

Rick Santorum delivered an emotional speech at CPAC Friday afternoon as he honored the memory of his nephew, who died Thursday night.

“Our family and his girlfriend were in incredible agony as he slowly and peacefully took his last breath,” Santorum said, noting that he’d traveled down from Pittsburgh to attend CPAC today. “I couldn’t help but have my experience yesterday impact my message to you today.”

The former Pennsylvania Senator revised his speech this morning following his nephew Billy's death, Santorum adviser John Brabender said.

“Billy was a terrific, vibrant young man who, for the last few months, has been struggling against a horrible painful disease that almost overnight began ravaging his body,” Santorum continued.

He spoke of the pain he, his wife Karen, and their family felt last night — and that it had a higher purpose.

“There was more going on yesterday than just suffering: our tears were full of hope that all of this suffering was not in vain, that this was not the end,” he said.

That pain, while difficult to endure, was a part of life, Santorum said, using the opportunity to explain that Democrats’ efforts to solve Americans’ pain through government programs won’t work.

“The left in government have made it their mission to have a government program to address almost every pain,” he said. “Face it, the left can always promise more stuff and make it sound like they care more because they make it easier for Americans by providing the stuff for them through government programs, paid for by somebody else’s money.”

He also said the country’s problems won’t be fixed by politicians in Washington.

“Don’t look to Washington, D.C., to solve this problem,” he said. “I served 16 years in the Congress and I can tell you there are very few leaders in Congress. There are a lot of followers.”

Ultimately, though, America can overcome its suffering because of its character, he said.

“America is … an ideal. It’s a set of principles and values,” he said. “That’s what holds us together.